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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24306043">Tenure Track</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibbyWeasley/pseuds/LibbyWeasley'>LibbyWeasley</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Twists and Turns of Fate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Professors, Biology Professor Bobbi, English Professor Hunter, F/M, Post-Break Up, professors au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:48:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,476</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24306043</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LibbyWeasley/pseuds/LibbyWeasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hunter and Bobbi break up and get a little help from their friends to figure out what to do next. A professors AU.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lance Hunter/Bobbi Morse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Twists and Turns of Fate [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tenure Track</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyfish/gifts">lazyfish</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Happy Graduation Day to Al!</p><p>This fic is actually a prequel to a choose your own adventure fic that isn't quite done. So here's a teaser for that verse. The other fic picks up at the "5 Years Later" point...so you know there's some sort of a happy ending coming  :)</p><p>A very big thank you to @agentofship for helping me pull this together. She's the very best!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He’d had a good job. Well, it was a job anyway. And an apartment that he didn’t hate. Why did <i>she</i> always have to ruin everything?</p><p>“It’s all a cruel trick,” Hunter said, the hand holding his beer swaying a little. He chased it and took another long drink. “She’s beautiful and bloody amazing ...and it’s just to tempt men to their doom. Like a siren.”</p><p>“Don’t you think that’s a little dramatic?” Izzy matched him drink for drink, something he appreciated when he was trying to get pissed. “Though I don’t know what else I’d expect from a creative writing type.”</p><p>“I don’t teach creative writing!” It was a testament to how much he’d had to drink that Izzy’s insinuation that he might teach <i>creative writing </i> of all things was more upsetting than the fact that his wife’s wedding ring was in his pocket rather than on her finger and she was currently moving out of their apartment—and his life. “I teach freshman composition. So all those pre-med and pre-law majors can learn how to use the Queen’s English.”</p><p>He laughed humorlessly before peeling the label off his bottle. </p><p>“Are you sure you’re over? I mean, this has happened —“</p><p>“Not this time.” He sighed, hoping that would calm the tremor in his voice. “She picked a job over me. I don’t even know where it is. Threw her bloody ring in my face and told me to find her if I wanted to apologize. Like I have something to apologize for!”</p><p>“Hunter…”</p><p>“Wha-?”</p><p>“You know how focused she is. Tenure at a research university is what she’s always wanted. Even if that isn’t who you are, that’s who she is.”</p><p>“Yeah, I know.” He met her stare. “But I’ve been teaching at a community college so we could stay together...and then she just takes off the first chance she gets. It’s like she’s been lying to me the whole time.”</p><p>He scowled at his empty bottle and gestured for the bartender to bring him another. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but he blinked them away. If Bobbi chose her job over him, he wasn’t going to turn weepy over it. It just meant he’d be smarter next time and not give his heart away so quickly. </p><p>Izzy looked sympathetic, so he pulled himself up straighter. He wasn’t going for the kicked puppy look. </p><p>“What are you going to do next?”</p><p>“Don’t know. But I can’t stay here.” He thanked the bartender as the next round arrived. “I’ll look for a new job. Start over somewhere else.”</p><p>“If you are willing to start over to forget her, then why not just go with her?”</p><p>Great. Now Izzy was acting like <i>he</i> was the one being unreasonable here. “Well, she won, she has her new job and managed to ruin my job and my life in the process."</p><p>“I may have a lead for you,” Izzy said carefully. </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“It’s just a one-year appointment. Not tenure track. Strictly a teaching position.”</p><p>She slid a shot of whiskey in front of him with a smile. </p><p>He snorted. “You know that’s fine by me. I’m a free spirit.”</p><p>To emphasize his point, Hunter picked up the shot glass in front of him...and just about choked as the alcohol burned his throat. </p><p>“Alright, free spirit. I’ll send you the details later so you don’t forget.”</p><p>“Thanks, Iz. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”</p>
<hr/><p>“Thanks for helping me move this stuff, Mack.”</p><p>She hefted another box into the bed of his truck before they trooped back into her apartment. Well, Hunter’s apartment now. </p><p>“Are you sure about this, Barbara?”</p><p>She scrunched up her nose. </p><p>“Of course I am, <i>Alphonso</i>. This is an R1 university and I’ll be up for tenure in three years. Plus there is a biochemist —“</p><p>“Slow down.” Mack put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him. She did so without batting an eye. She’d cried out her disappointment earlier, and now it was time to move forward. “I don’t mean the job. The job is great. I meant Hunter.”</p><p>“I know what you meant.”</p><p>She blinked a few times and then sighed, realizing he wasn’t going to let her get away with a non-answer. </p><p>“Hunter didn’t want me to go. But he didn’t want me enough to ask me to stay. And that’s our relationship in a nutshell.”</p><p>“Bobbi… Hunter’s crazy about you.”</p><p>She cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips. It didn’t really matter what Mack thought. He wasn’t Hunter. </p><p>“Ok, then, why not try working it out? You haven’t been married that long.”</p><p>“An entire academic year,” she snapped, laying a few picture frames showing her and Hunter in better times into a box before sealing it with packing tape. “The ebb and flow of research and teaching, of the semesters...that’s my life. I’m not willing to give that up. And he decided it wasn’t important to him.”</p><p>“I just don’t want you doing something you’ll regret.” He held up his hands and backed away from her in surrender.</p><p>“I’m sorry. It isn’t you. And yes, I’m sure. This…” she gestured around the half-empty apartment, “this didn’t work right now.”</p><p>“Right now?” Bobbi was always careful with her words and she wasn’t surprised that Mack picked up on that.</p><p>“Yeah.” She lifted the last box and looked around. “I — I love him. But maybe there are some things I still need to figure out about myself.”</p><p>When they’d had their last fight, Bobbi had started to wonder if it wasn’t Hunter she was fighting after all. Maybe she was the one throwing up a barrier between them. Their whole relationship had been a blur. They’d met. They’d spent the night together. They’d fallen in love, driven by passion and lust — and something much, much more. And that was slightly terrifying. She looked to Mack, hoping for something that would offer her some clarity. </p><p>The look of pity on his face was not comforting.</p>
<hr/><p>Hunter pressed a hand to his forehead and pushed his sunglasses back over his eyes. </p><p>He’d clearly had too much to drink last night. </p><p>“You alright professor?” It was Michael, one of his favorite students. Not that he was supposed to have favorites. But at least Michael always remembered to capitalize the letter “I” in his writing and had never tried to pass off a Wikipedia article as a scholarly source. </p><p>“My wife left me to go teach at a <i>university</i> and I may have imbibed a bit much last night.”</p><p>He said the word “university” in an American accent. Bobbi had always said it made him sound douchey, but he didn’t really care at this point. </p><p>“I’m hungover too,” one of the baseball players in the back called out. </p><p>“That’s fine. But <i>you</i> have to take your final exam today. I can sleep for the next three hours. So good luck to you.”</p><p>There was laughter from around the classroom. Hunter never pretended to be something he wasn’t, which was why his student evaluations were so good every semester. </p><p>After passing out the exams, Hunter sat down at the desk and propped his feet up in front of him. He really had planned on taking a nap. His students were good. They probably wouldn’t cheat...much. And it wasn’t like he’d be leaving them unattended. But the ding of a new email arriving in his inbox changed his mind. </p><p>Izzy had come through with a job posting and a contact name. And the best part was that it wasn’t anywhere near here. He’d miss his students. And the life he thought he’d have. But if he stayed he’d miss Bobbi too bloody much. This was for the best.</p>
<hr/><p>5 Years Later</p><p>Hunter had a good feeling about this year. He had a one year assignment as a visiting professor. At least this school was selective enough that no one should try citing T. E. Britannica in their research paper. How anyone thought that “The Encyclopedia Britannica” was someone’s name he had no idea. </p><p>But this would be his last year. After this he’d get something tenure track. Settle down and make a home. </p><p>Maybe find someone to share it with.</p>
<hr/><p>Bobbi had a good feeling about this year. She was finally tenured and could focus on the research she wanted to do — not just the research that would look best to her tenure committee. She had colleagues she trusted…and Hunter was going to be back in her life. She didn’t know exactly how or for how long, but there were questions she needed answers to. She wasn’t the same person she’d been five years ago. She was older. Hopefully wiser. And now she could finally figure out what she’d missed all those years before.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed it!  The next fic will be coming soon!</p><p>You can find me on tumblr @LibbyWeasley</p></blockquote></div></div>
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